Friday, September 22, 2006

Sony drops PS3 price in Japan - and in Japan only

The 20GB version of the PS3 will now launch in Japan for only ¥49,980 ($429 / €334) instead of the previously announced ¥59,800 ($513 / €400). Sony Computer Entertainment made the surprise announcement at the Tokyo Game Show.

They further announced that a HDMI port was going to be included with that version, after all. Here is the official press release:

Tokyo, September 22, 2006 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) with 20GB hard disk drive (HDD) will come equipped with HDMI(*) (Ver 1.3/supporting Deep Color) output as standard with the system. PS3 with 20GB HDD will become available in Japan at a new recommended retail price of 49,980 yen (tax included).

Since SCEI first announced product specifications of PS3 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May 2005, demand for enjoying full HD quality image and realistic digital sound through HDMI has grown tremendously. Given the sharp increase in availability of flat displays supporting HDMI in the market, SCEI has decided to equip HDMI as standard on all PS3 systems.

SCEI, with strong support from software developers and publishers, will offer a broad lineup of exciting and innovative titles and vigorously promote the PS3 platform.

To prevent any speculation about price drops in other regions, 1UP has spoken to Sony reps on the ground who specifically ruled this out.

So is Sony getting scared? Or are they merely passing cheaper component prices on to the consumer? We don´t know. However, a price drop prior to the product launch is always an embarrassment. It shows that the company has failed to take all the relevant factors into account when drawing up the original price.

Let´s remember the spectacular price drops of the recent past. Within roughly two months of its launch, the original Xbox dropped from €479 ($613) to €299 ($383). Media interpreted this as an attempt to kick start sales. Subsequent to the announcement, Nintendo followed suit, dropping the European price from €250 to €199 prior to launching the console, before slashing the price in the US a month later.

This hurt both the Xbox and Gamecube significantly, causing potential buyers to turn towards PlayStation2, a console that always seemed to have a solid price and whose price drops over time always seemed to have been planned ahead. Microsoft and Nintendo, instead, appeared to be headless chicken, hastily adjusting their prices just after and just before their product launches, respectively.

Now, it´s Sony´s turn to be the chicken - in more than one way, perhaps. Of course, there is no denying that a lower price makes a product more attractive and may cause a surge in sales. But it damages faith in the company and, ultimately, the product itself. And while the PS3´s new price point may ensure better sales in Japan, it´s not good news for Sony overall. Especially if words on this gets out to North American and European customers, they may be inclined to ask why they are bearing the brunt of Sony´s hasty change in pricing policy.

To my knowledge, Sony has never had to make rushed price adjustments like this one, which undoubtedly helped the PlayStation as a product. My guess is that this announcement will indeed tarnish the PlayStation´s image significantly. In the short run, this will not even boost PS3 sales, because Sony was already sure of selling out the first batch, anyway.

94 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Meh...

I think they're taking an aggresive approach to pricing because they have probably done some market research recently that showed people want a PS3 but are going to give it a miss till a more economically favourable price is given to them.

This is the stance many Sony-fan-Bois are taking that I know...it's the wait patiently game till price cut...or a steady saving up the pennies to buy one.

fal im an nintendo freak.tell me just one tyhing.after all the announcemnts in the tokyo game show,should nintendo worry for something?i read the topics in the noegaf forums and they all say:YEAH!SONY IS BACK!SOLY WILL RULE THE WORLD!what is wrong with them?nintendo is the best software company in the entire history,and everyone is looking to sell their homes just to get a ps3 with hd graphics!for god sakes its fucken disgusting.plz i want your thought about that.thanks in advance

Well, Sony has had a reasonably strong showing at TGS. Nothing spectacular, but no catastrophe aeither, it seems. While their keynote is said to have been boring as hell, the games varied between okay and stunning.

The price announcement is both good news as well as an embarrassment, as I already noted. So I definitely wouldn´t say that ´Sony is back´ (I never said they were gone, in the first place). They had an okay TGS showing, I guess.

so nintendo lets say is "unaffected"?i would pay even more for my wii,but i dont want to see a fiasco price drop that would damage the image of the company,just because sony dropped the price to thank the sonyboys.

Ouch !!! a price drop and HDMI 1.3, the PS3s starting to look interresting to me, the 20 gig version is $400 if they cut the 20% in the US, that will be $320 !!!! not that expensive from the $250 Wii, that's a kick in the groin for nintendo...OUCH!!!!

i dont think it makes them look bad at all, in fact im more happy about it. its good to see people demanding something and getting it.

now if I could only get people to get pissed and demand a lower price point for the wii here in the US...

but no, people "need" to get it at launch instead of just being satisfied playing gamecube for a little while longer. people need to get some balls and be willing to wait it out for a price drop. if enough people said this, maybe nintendo would drop the price (or at least drop wii sports from being included in the package).

it's Japan only : come on, they would have sold the machine in Japan anyway, even without the price drop, even with the $215 wii....at least until may 2007, when I think the majority of japanese core-gamers will have bought their console.....then the goal will be to attract the casual gamer.....and then, even if a price drop is indeed interesting, it won't be enough.....what the PS3 will need is games.

More generally speaking, I for myself, think the price drop would have had a more positive effect if in Japan AND in the U.S., where sony will have to compete with microsoft, in his own country...

As for our beloved Europe, let's first wait for march 2007....

Finally, what's certain is that sony will have a difficult time : a consequent price, no killer aps until late 2007 (MGS4, FF XIII), less and less exclusivities (PES, GTA....).

To conclude, my own bet on the world market share at the end of this generation:

"It’s easy to paint Rein as a bastard just because he has a different philosophy than Nintendo but it doesn’t mean he’s a fool.

Regardless of how you wave that controller around, you have to admit there are going to be SOME good games the Wii will NEVER be able to handle.

Marc’s a tech savvy guy and he only means to push any technology, even that on the PC. Fact is we get new video cards every year and you’d be DAMNED to see those new GPUs pushed to their potential. However Nintendo sticks to tunnel vision:

“…In terms of graphic power, we have a different paradigm, we want to drive entertainment, ease of use. If you want power, you’re going to go someplace else. Have at it. We’re doing something very different. You’re going to look at Zelda and say, ‘Wow!”

It’s too bad Sonic’s upcoming title on 360/PS3, Blue Dragon and FF13 ruined that for me. I’m even turned off more on the fact that the true sequel to Sonic Adventure and a tribute to the original first two games of Mario’s rival are going to be on a Non-Nintendo system whereas we get Sonic on Rails, but it’s protected by rave reviews. Meanwhile my game system budget has damned near TRIPLED because my target system’s too weak to run certain games.

Zelda looks impressive, but it was a GAMECUBE GAME FIRST. That means while the graphics for a GCN game are great, we want to see how VISUALLY different is the Wii from a GameCube besides more 480p and 16:9 support. So far we see what Ubi Soft can do, and a Far Cry port that looks like absolute SHIT if it’s in its finishing stages.

Nintendo didn’t even realize that they could have impressive and realistic sounding instruments on the GCN until the system’s last legs. In this case, TWILIGHT PRINCESS.

That shows Nintendo tends to knock a lot of tech advantages before trying them. They consider graphics extraneous as if DEVELOPERS won’t care for technology and then they have Photo Editting as a feature…nice message Nintendo.

Nintendo only learns from their mistakes when the same mistakes catch up with them. Let me note the examples

-Sticking with cartridges-Not having a sound chip in the N64, opting to use the CPU in its place (a major bottleneck)-GCN disc space (don’t slap that 2-disc shit, developers STILL had complaints. Plus it only works for adventure and RPG games.)-Online play-Cancelling Mother 3’s development (the N64 one) rather than moving it up to GameCube.-Trying to make the Wind Waker the end-all-be-all standard one

In terms of Rein downing on the GameCube about a year back, he’s an asshole. However, it’s not based on that claim that I’m going to say he’s wrong for the direction of the Wii as well because I agree with him on some points.

Would you rather have a Wii (with its exclusives in mind) that was capable of getting ports from Next gen consoles or current gen consoles?"

Mark Rein on Wii once againSeptember 22nd, 2006 A portion of a CVG interview with Mark Rein…

CVG: Before we finish up: did Epic ever get that Wii dev kit?

Mark Rein: (laughs) I can’t say, I’m under NDA with Nintendo. But I can tell you that we’re not doing, internally any development right now on the Wii. The Wii I’m sure is going to be a fantastic machine and sell really well but it’s kind of below - it’s not Intel integrated graphics but it’s pretty far bellow the kind of min-bar of Unreal Engine 3. If you built a PC with that spec it wouldn’t really be capable of playing an Unreal Engine 3 games decently. They’re aiming at clearly at different audience that what we are. You know, Unreal Engine 3 can’t run on Xbox 1 or PS2 either - and that’s not to say that some of our licensees wont find a way to shoe-horn it into that platform, we certainly have some licensees that are doing some experiments in that area and it could very well happen. But that’s a really tough job. And one thing that has become public knowledge in the last little while is that Ubisoft’s game Red Steel is using Unreal Engine 2, so there will be Unreal Engine games on the Wii. There will be Unreal Engine games on the Wii and hopefully they’ll be successful and maybe we’ll make a little money from it, but Unreal Engine 3 - that’s a little below our target platform.

CVG: Do you think the Wii will be able to emulate the success of the DS?

Mark Rein: They certainly have a lot of buzz right now and if they can have a low enough price (NOTE: our interview was conducted before Nintendo’s recent price announcement)- you know, people compare the DS and the PSP but the DS is half the price of the PSP, It’s going for a different market than the PSP almost and so maybe that’s the difference between Wii and PlayStation 3 or Wii and Xbox 360. Maybe they’re going to come out at a significantly lower price point and they’ll be able to do some really cool stuff with it, we’ll have to wait and see. Or wait and Wii (laughs).

Without beating about the bush it's clear that everybody gave Nintendo the benefit of the doubt to deliver this time around.Everybody expected them to open their mind to widen their horizont,to give gamers what they want once and for all namely :

But no,just as Billy Berghammer underlined, history is reapitng itself all over again.

Dont get me wrong Falafelkid, I always had faith in Nintendo, I have always been a big Nintendo supporter from day one and I will eventually end up getting myself a Wii with a copy of Elebits and Galaxy nontheless.

BUT unlike you that doesnt prevent me from being bitter to the utmost about recent developments and steps Nintendo has taken as we get a clear picture of Wii.

I was very enthusiastic.I love the new controller.But it ain't worth anything as long as you don't have the games that take advantage of it.Nintendo needs AAA killer titles like:

Now, if I can turn everyone´s attention back to the topic. Let´s get some proper discussion going again, if you would, please.

The PS3 is turning into the console the analysts love to hate (with very few exceptions). Do you think that is relevant to Sony´s success? Of course, it´s relevant to Sony´s share price. But will this dampen their chances to stay market leader? What do you think?

Falafel, sony's ken kutaragi said himself, that future playstation 3 models may have blu-ray disk recordable/rewritable drive, as well as possibly a new cell processor and more ram. He stated explicitly that the playstation 3 is more like a computer than it is a video game console, and he wants to ensure a 10 year cycle as oppose to 4-5 year cycle. I will not be buying playstation 3 when it comes out due to the fact that its just too damn expensive, and to have the full experience of playsation 3, you would need 1080p HDTV, as well as possibly dolby digital sound system.

Within 2008-2009 hopefully they might come out with a smaller more sleek playstation 3 model (just like the new playstation 2 model)SED HDTV's will hit the market (a revolution in HDTV technology that will stomp CRT,LCD,PLASMA,DLP) at an affordable price range and size (not gonna guy 50inch monitor)and decent solid third party and 1st party software.

All this crap about sony changing its mind at the last minute is indeed embarrasing and dissapointing, but for me, i dont think it makes much of a difference. I will wait patiently.

What's really rather interesting is that Kotakuy asked two groups of about 22-24 people at TGS (so around 45 people in total) whether they would get a Wii or PS3, and almost double those who said they'd get a Wii said that they'd get a PS3. And furthermore, many of the lattr were girls. The PS2 seems to have done a mighty for Sony.

Yeah, I remember that Sony said they were considering putting out some kind of extensions for PS3 (obviously to make sure the console´s shelf life really could be ten years, which is very ambitious). Interesting that you understand this as a reason to wait. You want to snap up such a beefed up version for a lesser price, I take it? Would make sense.

Hi Anonymous.

Thanks, interesting reactions there. Kotaku asked ordinary gamers and Cosplay freaks at TGS whether they wanted a PS3 or Wii. While PS3 seems to be the clear winner, it´s important to note that the poll is by no means representative.

I do get this a lot myself, though, asking people what console they might buy. Plenty of casual gamers do go for PlayStation3, since it´s by far the most known console brand around (incidentally, Nintendo is the most known console manufacturer - a lot of people familiar with the PlayStation brand don´t know it´s made by Sony). When I do tell them about the price and introduce them to Xbox360 and Wii, almost every casual gamer who planned on getting a PS3 jumped ship.

Of course, most people at TGS are not casual gamers, but the majority of the people Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo needs to attract are.

Hi everyone, just to confirm the next Live session (because I made an error with the date). It is actually:

Monday, 25th, 11pm CET (5pm Eastern)

To all the numerous participants of the last sessions, please make it a date. This will be the first chat since the price and launch date announcements. If you want to know anything about the London event, do come.

And to all the spammers: Just fuck off. For more than a year, this has been one of the most successful Nintendo blogs out there - and your continued attempts at disrupting it are testament to that. I am actually sitting here with a big smile on my face. And you bunch of sad fuckers will never succeed in changing that - or mitigating what I and thousands of constructive users who visit this site every day have built up.

IALS you are such a trash talker. It is pathetic. Do you notice Fal ignores you? Why? Because you deserve no respect and continue to talk trash. The blog is much better without your ramblings and complaints on graphics etc.

Who gives a shit about Mark Rein. I know I certainly dont. Every kind of product and market have these people. But in the end the markets are like sheep. They follow. What if the Wii became hugely popular, Mark will change his direction. Anyway who cares, he is not significant, Unreal is old and its old news. Only the hard cores care so much for Unreal and Nintendo arent going for that market.

Getting back to the topic. The PS3 price point being dropped in Japan wont help Nintendo too much. But since they are going for a different target market I doubt it will have a huge significance.

The PS3 price point being dropped in Japan wont help Nintendo too much. But since they are going for a different target market I doubt it will have a huge significance.

Sure, the lower price point will make the cheaper model more attractive for consumers - and that is a threat to Nintendo, if anything. Of course, Wii is aimed at a much broader market. But the danger is that some potential buyers may reconsider getting the horsepower machine, instead.

The downside for Sony is greatly increased pressure by analysts and investors. They don´t exactly like the company subsidizing their products even more. And they will have to take steps to get that money back (i.e. more expensive software and accessories).

Unfortunately, this blog is full of biased, fanatic, overly sensitive Nintendo fanboys like Grandmaster b and the blog author/owner Falafelkid.

I challenge you to find one example that backs up your accusations. You realise that I am a games journalist and have to remain impartial, don´t you? Next week, I´m off to X06 and I´m, greatly looking forward to playing Mass Effect, Viva Pinata and Gears of War. Again, find anything that you think backs up your accusations. You won´t find anything, laddie (but then again, you were just spamming under a different nick).

That is a very naive statement I' afraid.Adults, families, tradesmen, casual gamers, and non gamers will regard Sony's system as a high quality highly stylised DVD- and multi media enabled entertainment system for the livingroom.

Thus it's clear that Sony appeals to much, much broader market.

This is probably the single most naive statement I've ever heard from you Mr. Falafelkid.

Now, I have said many times before that I have good contacts to Sony and Microsoft and very much appreciate their consoles. I am a huge fan of the Wipeout franchise and there are a whole number of Xbox360 titles that may yet convince me to buy the system myself (should I ever not have the privilege of the review consoles here at RTL II anymore).

But I simply believe that Nintendo finally have a chance of superseding their competitors. Originality for a cheaper price at a time when the generation leap in graphical detail is smaller than ever... that surely is a compelling offer. They may find their Blue Ocean yet with the console.

And when people invest so much energy in spamming and disrupting an impartial news blog like mine, I know that Nintendo really is on the right track. Because this kind of energy can only originate from a deliberate guerilla marketing campaign by some PR companies. Well done, you sad little idiots. You have just proven that Sony and Microsoft are worried enough to resort to such tactics.

Unfortunately, this is not uncommon in this industry. I know of various cases where this happened in the past. PR companies often abuse blogsites and Amazon reviews and the like. This is just another case.

If you don't feel embarrassed just using a phrase like "Of course, Wii is aimed at a much broader market." you must be afflicted with reality loss I´m afraid to say.

Even Sony Computer Entertainment would disagree with you there - and agree with me. Both the PlayStation and Xbox demographic are rather specific. They aren´t deliberately targetting kids or silver gamers like Nintendo. You just don´t know the industry, mate. And, again, I wrote ´aimed at´. Whether this strategy will work is another thing.

"Even Sony Computer Entertainment would disagree with you there - and agree with me. Both the PlayStation and Xbox demographic are rather specific. They aren´t deliberately targetting kids or silver gamers like Nintendo. You just don´t know the industry, mate. And, again, I wrote ´aimed at´. Whether this strategy will work is another thing."

ZZZZZZZZZYou cannot be serious.Sony only knows too good how many people bought their system just for the DVD player capabilities.Your statements only show you up as someone hoe isn't really in touch with the reality, the reality that is hundred million PS2s sold. If you want to tell me that those are mostly specific audiences...well, what can I say..good luck :).I tellin you Sony is pretty much on the money giving consumers what they endorse( be it kids with many licensed Disney titles and in house productions like Ratchett and Clank )hardcore gamers and casual gamers ( 3rd parties + Eye toy and Sing Star )and last but not least unimposing (non) gamers like tradesmen, fathers who want to get something nice for the entire family to have fun with.Sony catches these people with Multi media features like DVD and Music playback, and a mature industrial design Sony is famous for and which has unversal appeal.You shouldn't underestimate Sonys brandpower.

the reality that is hundred million PS2s sold. If you want to tell me that those are mostly specific audiences...well, what can I say..good luck :).

So when did PS2 become the mega seller it now is? Do you know? I will tell you: Sony never sold more console than last Xmas - at a cheap price point and with highly original games (Singstar, Eye Toy, Buzz). Now, let´s see, which console will satisfy both of those aspects for launch...?

You honestly think that Blu Ray will be of any interest to a mass market right now? You really have to be a Techie to want to buy a console for $600, whose graphics you can only truly appreciate when you also buy a HD tv for at least another $1,500. HD-DVD is also still living large and the format war is far from over.

Ever wonder why Xbox360 sold only five million consoles so far - half the units Microsoft wanted to sell? Even Kutaragi acknowledged that they may not stay at the top. Why am I even bothering talking to blatant fanboys?

Unfortunately, this blog is full of biased, fanatic, overly sensitive Nintendo fanboys like Grandmaster b and the blog author/owner Falafelkid.

It makes it impossible to to have a rational discussion void of party excrescences.

Umm I dont know where you get that from. I am very open minded but unlike you I see past a lot of BS. Actually this comment isnt even worth replying any more to, I know I am not a sensitive fan boy. I dont even own a GC, was given a Super Famicom and bought a N64 with only a couple of games. You are basing your comment on a couple here and as Fal said you are just spamming under another name, most likely you are IALS.

I am tired of his ramblings and he brings nothing to the blog but negativity. Sure I dont have to read them (I dont) but having to sift through relevant posts in blog form is rather hard, especially when my time is valuable.

This is probably the single most naive statement I've ever heard from you Mr. Falafelkid.

Get real........If you cant see Nintendo are trying to broaden the market then you are >>BLIND<You shouldn't underestimate Sonys brandpower.

Yeh just like how iPOD exploded. Sony are playing catch up with their MP3 player Walkman equivelants and with other various devices.

Sony's TV's are also doing very very well too (sarcastic remark). Sony arent as strong as you think. In Japan yes but NO brand is INVINCABLE. There are just so many examples of that.

It's absolutly clear from a rational perspective that Sony's console is aimed at a significantly broader market due to its great futureproof multi-media capabilites and harddrive.

At those price ranges? Yeh it appeals to so MANY doesnt it? Maybe you need to think about that one more.

The problem with the PS3 is that its trying to do too much. It will be it's downfall if it happens to lose significant market share. The thing is they NEED to sell mass market or they will lose software support. Software companies need volume sales, especially with the obvious increasing software development costs.

Fal:The downside for Sony is greatly increased pressure by analysts and investors. They don´t exactly like the company subsidizing their products even more. And they will have to take steps to get that money back (i.e. more expensive software and accessories).

True, I only replied quickly and I see this. The thing is Sony obviously must be making a huge loss on each system sold. Really it is not a very good business model or business plan. It is very risky and I know if I was a share holder I would be very very concerned, hence why you see a drop in their share price.

If this kind of thing were to happen with a company launching a new anticipated product on a smaller, lets say domestic only scale, they would be laughed at and would lose so much credibility that it would be very damaging.

"So when did PS2 become the mega seller it now is? Do you know? I will tell you: Sony never sold more console than last Xmas - at a cheap price point and with highly original games (Singstar, Eye Toy, Buzz)."

This is such a rude, untrue understatement that I won't even bother disclaiming it( as you are only disclaiming yourself with it and making a clown out of yourself)

"You honestly think that Blu Ray will be of any interest to a mass market right now? You really have to be a Techie to want to buy a console for $600, whose graphics you can only truly appreciate when you also buy a HD tv for at least another $1,500. HD-DVD is also still living large and the format war is far from over."

Utterly nonsense.Potential buyers, even ones without HD televisions will be more than happy to pay $600 for a futureproove multimedia computer, that covers their consumer needs completely, all in one, whereas Wii merely plays games.It all boils down to this:People rather save money on individual parts and if you consider this, it should become clear to you why the value is formidable

Utterly nonsense.Potential buyers, even ones without HD televisions will be more than happy to pay $600 for a futureproove multimedia computer, that covers their consumer needs completely, all in one, whereas Wii merely plays games.It all boils down to this:People rather save money on individual parts and if you consider this, it should become clear to you why the value is formidable

Umm more comes down to how many people actually want it in the first place.

I can tell you this, the people wanting a Blu Ray player are most likely a different demographic than a person wanting a PS3. And I am talking on a mass scale here so re-read what I said again. Therefore those two different people are wanting the technically superior product and I really dont think the PS3 will be a great blu ray player. It is trying to do too many things.

Now you might say look at the PS2 with the DVD player. Now thats where MASS comes into it. There is nowhere near the amount of people wanting a blu ray player as to the people who wanted a dvd player.

In the end the PS3 is primarily a game machine, and a multi task device 2nd. It is not a cheap game machine but a cheap multi task device. Now how many people will want a multi task device? That is yet to be known but I dont think it will be the mass.

Sony really should of concentrated on making it being a great gaming machine that was affordable.

"I can tell you this, the people wanting a Blu Ray player are most likely a different demographic than a person wanting a PS3. And I am talking on a mass scale here so re-read what I said again. Therefore those two different people are wanting the technically superior product and I really dont think the PS3 will be a great blu ray player. It is trying to do too many things."

First of all, thanks for your lengthy contributions. It´s good to hear the voice of reason through the occasional murmur of ignorance and stupidity.

Now you might say look at the PS2 with the DVD player. Now thats where MASS comes into it. There is nowhere near the amount of people wanting a blu ray player as to the people who wanted a dvd player.

Absolutely. The PS2 was my first DVD player and back then, everyone wanted one. It has been said that the disc that sold most alongisde the PS2 console when it launched in Japan was not a game, but ´The Matrix´.

Also, there was no alternative format and the benefits of DVD over VHS were significant: random access, multiple audio and video tracks... Blu Ray has got a strong competitor and both of these formats only offer more of what regular DVDs offer already. Finally, the PS2´s DVD functionality was compatible with standard equipment and didn´t require a cutting edge tv for well over a grand.

Thanks, I will have a look at that once I am finished here in the newsroom. Oh, and I have to agree on Pokémon. It may appear a kids thing to people who have never picked it up. But, just like Animal Crossing now, it has an amazingly addictive power and millions and millions of sold units give those games credit.

Fact is although Sony had a big support from Third Party Producers, the 360 and the Wii are a better choice ! After seeing Blue Dragon and Zelda , i mean, who wants a PS 3 ??? I have made my decision : Wii60 !! RULES!!!

This is totally off-topic (oh, and it´s bragging), but I just got my brand-new Numark Axis9 CD decks and a mixer. Check out that baby in motion here. Those decks are the dog´s bollocks, nothing less. Especially for that price. Sorry, but I just had to post this ;)

Hi Anonymous

I have made my decision : Wii60 !! RULES!!!

While there were too few decent titles until now, I believe the Xbox360 is really coming along nicely - and it may pay off for Microsoft to have rushed their product to market. They may have had their share of faulty consoles returned but we are really starting to see proper second-generation software on the machine. Gears of War is simply spectacular and uses the hardware to a much higher degree than the rather complicated PS3 (or even the simpler Wii) could ever hope for at launch.

yeah, gears of war is visually really stunning. wii can´t compete with it. thats clear. but i think zelda has the power to compete with it saleswise. a brilliant story, good graphics (for wii) and a new way to play it. wii has zelda for launch and this holyday season and microsoft has gears of war for this holydays. the ps3 is surely lacking some of the "wow" factor games at launch. sure, they may look very good, but its nothing spectacular in the list like metal gear solid, final fantasy, devil may cry, and so on...

Pfff what a discussion. I.A.L.S. must have a lot of free time to post all his usual nonsense. I cannot imagine that an ordinary poster would go to such great lengths to discredit a console that has not been released yet.

About the price drop, Sony really should have kept the original price, the first batch of ps3's would sell out anyway and like some people already pointed out, to make additional costs is a highly risky strategy considering that Sony already loses a few 100 dollars on each console.

As for the discussion which new console is most likely to emerge as the best selling console, the Wii system seems to be the most plausible candidate. The new controller will do it's job in attracking new gamers to the consoles. The Wiichannels show that Nintendo is taking internet seriously, one of the aspects of gaming Nintendo unfortunately ignored during the gamecube era.And knowing Nintendo they will bring out software that will draw in new gamers like they already did with the ds with titles like brain training and nintendogs.

Nintendo made the right choice by not following the same path as their compitors because both hardcore and casual gamers will want to try the Wii. Add to that the small size and the design of the new console and it seems that Nintendo really has constructed a killer console this time.

The only true threat to the Nintendo console could come from an unexpected corner. Nowadays majority of console buyers will have less and less time to play console games. Mobile gaming on the other hand will gain more and more in popularity. Handheld devices are better than ever in terms of cost, quality and user friendliness. The biggest competitor of the wii could be ironically the ds.

Funny thing about the PS2 was it was the worst DVD player there were so many problems with it reading certain DVD's, i worked at a blockbuster video the first 2 years the Ps2 was out and most of the problems DVD's people had was due to the PS2 not playing that title especially any gold colored disney DVD

10. Image ?? They created hate and anger over the last two years and lost a lot of consumer, YEAH !!!

People who are going to buy the PS3 are people who have not a clue about gaming, the are going only to buy it because of the name. They are not the sort of gamers who know names like Hinorobu Sakaguchi or play Zelda. This kind of people are regular cheap gamers , and i know all their prejudices like :

Nintendo is for kiddies, or the graphics suck and when it comes to the 360 , they say : it is MS i would never buy a product of MS, but they all have Win at home ;) You know this kind of people are lazy to analyze the whole situation in the gaming market, because when they whould do it they would see, that the Wii is going to be a big success and the 360 is doing very well. But you know maybe it is better to have differences between the gamers, because you can cleary see who has style and who not...

1.the graphics are insufficient 2.the launch line up is insufficient 3.the publisher situation is insufficient 4.Red Steel looks like crap 5.Mario wont make it for launch 6.Zelda essentialy is a Gamecube game 7.Most games look too gimmicky 8.Most games look too cartoony 9.Nintendo focuses too much on kids 10.Metroid is too similiar to Prime 1 and 2 11.Elebits is more aimed at kids 12.I couldnt care less for Wii sports 13.Wii gets mostly spinoff of popular franchises like Resi,Sonic,Final Fantasy 14.Far Cry looks like Gamecube 0.75 15.The name Wii sounds embarrassing 16.Heroes looks to messed up 17.$300 for Wii with one game is too expensive 18.The value isn't right 19.Nintendo hasn't learned from its' mistakes in the past 20.No new magnificent IPs 21.Almost nothing more than sequels 22.No HD support 23.Merely Dolby Pro Logic 2

YEAH i am also getting the Wii on DAY 1 , thats for sure ! I will also get Neverwinter nights 2 for PC and Gears of War for PC and Zelda for the WII , Fuck , i dont have so much time to play all these great games !! ;)

first of all, that kotaku video... kinda stunned me at first, but i gave it a minute of thought, and realized that nerds that dress up like fucking final fantasy characters are definately fanboys. great. so you get a nerd dressed up like link, he (or... she...) wants wii. great. that's all completely irrelevant. as an anonymous someone cleverly pointed out earlier, ps3 is definately poised as an attractive (...well, maybe not physically) multimedia device for home entertainment. wii wants the mass market as well... so who gives a shit what fanboys are going to buy?

look how it stands: it's basically "nintendo's newfound DS consumer army vs. sony's outrageous price point and their seemingly infallible brand loyalty", right? seriously. wii will definately outsell the ps3, because ps3s target audience is significantly reduced when you factor in the price point. it's a simple fact that most people can't afford to just "buy the family that new, hard-to-find, multi-media behemoth with a plasma and dolby digital surround". how is this even an argument?

GAH. long day. hmm, let's see... ials. dude, please. i was a big fan of yours back in the "good ol' days" of this blog, but jesus christ man. calm the fuck down.

blizz419: you haven't done anything annoying so far except using a comma instead of a period. at least you're trying.

falafelkid: don't let the spammers get to you. i've also formulated an entire universe of ideas about guerilla marketing techniques... it's fuckin' scary. awesome decks, too.thanks for posting. i heard through IM about sony's price drop, but it hadn't occurred to me that this would "look bad" on sony. it makes sense...

oh, one other thing to truebeliever: your english is way above average. no need to apologize at all. you seem to write better than about 80% of America.

I think the price will drop in America aswell. It's still expensive even though it does offer some great gaming options. As long as it remains in the $300-$400 range then we should be ok. The PS3 is going to do very in the long run. The Cell is going to revolutionize everything.